Flushing apparatus for water-closets.



E. G. WATROUS.

FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR WATER CLOSETS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I3. 1912.

Patented Mar. 2l, 1916.

Mw/fm...

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPHJCO., WASHINGTON. D. c.

to indicate corresponding 'parts' in ITEIQ EA'RI: G. WATROfUS,

I0F CH'IGAYG'O, ILLINOIS.

FLUSI'IING APARATUS FOR YW:A'JEIlt-CIOSETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application iiled August 13, 1912. Serial No. 714,805.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL Gr. WATROUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State` of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flushing Apparatus for Water-Closets, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates more particularly to water closets of the class in which the flushing apparatus of the closet is'operated or controlled by the seat of the closet, and has for its object certainy improvements in such apparatus and in its operation by the closet seat, whereby the degree of movement of the seat required for the operation of the apparatus, and the wear and tear and Vstrain upon the operating connections, are both greately reduced, and whereby the eiiciency ofthe flushing apparatus is at the same time increased. Its novelty will be hereinafter setv forth and particularlypointed out ini. my claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1s a middle section of my improved flushing apparatus and of the upper rear portion'of a water closet to which it is shownapplied, with. the parts in their normal position of restVand Fig. 2 a corresponding view with the parts in the position which they occupy when the closet seat is depressed. Y

The same reference letters.` are emplyed fot views.

'My .improved flushing .apparatus '9embodies a valve mechanism inclosed within a' casing comprising a vertical rear portion Aofa general. cylindrical form' and an integral forwardly extending delivery pipev inlet V.Chellflber .F

r Pipe opens into which extends through and yis supported .in the spud connection@ of. he closet and hasits reduced forward end I) proiecting through l. andjopening provided for it in the ,front the inlet chamber F` of the closet, B thus serving to connect the lto and support it uponY the B isv providedwithin the e with ports Gr for' the dcliveryof water intoV said chamber, whence it may pass `by theusual side.' ductsformed in the.' closet to the'rjetxat the bottom` of the bowl, while thehextreme forward endlof ,the the flushing rim IIA oflthe bowl andv delivers into the"v latter a" portion wall'Ilrof Said rire valve casing closet.` The pipe of' thewater admitted to the pipe, the remainder escaping through the ports G Gr, into the inlet chamber F.

'Fhe rear vertical portion A of the valve casinghas its lower portion formed into a cylinder I whose open lower end is closed by a screw cap J and within which works a iston K carried by the lower end of a vertical stem L whoseextreme upper end carries the main valve M which is located with- 1n the inlet chamber N of the valve casing and *seats upon the bottom wall thereof. rlh'einlet chamber N is provided (upon one side) with a pipe connection G for the water supply, such connection being shown in dotted lines upon the farther side of the chamber in Figs. l and 2, and its open upper 'end' is closed bya screw cap P which also serves in the present instance to confine within the chambera coiled spring Q which bears at its lower end upon the valve M and seryes to yieldingly hold the latter to its sea The vcylindrical portion I of the casing, in-v which the piston K works, terminates atv itsupper end in a slightly enlarged chamber R whose upperwall is formed of a horizontalA diaphragm or partition provided with a large central opening the lower surfajce of' whose surrouncing wall constitutes a valvev seat Sv for aY second valve or closure 'I carried by the same stem L as the piston Kfand valve M, such valve T having aI tapered or 'conical hub U-for a purpose hereinafter explained. The chamber V, above valve seat S and beneath the inlet chamber N, communicates through the pipe connectionl W with a pipe X leading to a closed'ftank Y, 'said pipe and tank being diagrammatically indicated in reduced size in', the drawings.

:The 'inlet chamber N at the top of the valve'casing communicates at its lower en bya duct Z with a valve chamber A1 containing` a valve B1 carried by the lower end of a valve stem C1 extending upward throu'ghfthe/ casing and connected at its upper end'to the rear end of a lever D1 rigidly secured at its forward end to the closet seat E1 andihaving the axis F1 Y of the hinges Y The duct Z leadingn from the inlet chamber N to the valve chamber A1Vopens upwardly through the bottom ofy the latter at its center and has a seatformed aroundit for the valve B1, while-'at' one side of the duct Z there also thereof for its fulcrum.

opens into the bottom valve chamber' A1 the upper end of a duct G1 nally downward and rearward and opening into the lower portion of the cylinder I in which the piston K works. l/Vhere this duct G1 crosses the delivery pipe of said pipe, leaving' the water free to flow from the chamber R within thevalve casing around-said tube and through the pipe To compensate for the obstruction to the flow of water offered by such tube the sides of the valve casing and of thepipe B are laterally enlarged opposite the Asaid tube, as shown at H1. y

Under the construction so far described, water under pressure is constantly admitted to the inlet chamber N of the casing and thence through the duct Z to the under side of the valve B1, which latter is held to its seat by a co'led valve stem C1 and exerting a downward pressure upon the valve. n seat isdepressed and. the valve B1 thereby slightly lifted as in Fig. 2 water under pressure will pass from the duct Z to the upper end of the duct G1 and thence .through the latter to the under sideof the piston K, which latter is of such large area that it will be yquickly lifted by the pressure beneath it against the resistance of the spring Q (when the latter is employed) and the water pressure upon the upper side of the 4 valve M within the inlet chamber N. The

upward movement ofthe piston K andvparts carried by or moving with it will be limited by the contact of the valve T with the valve seat S, in which position the valve T will serve to cut offY communication between the chambers V and R above'and belowsaid valve. In this position ofthe parts, as shownin Fig. 2, a cut-away orwinged portion J1 of the valve stem L will extend through the valve seat on which the valve M normally rests, so that water under pressure may freely pass from the inlet chamber N to the chamber V beneath it, and thence through the pipe connection W and pipe X to the closed tank Y. Said tank thusjbecCmes filled or partially filled Vfwith water under pressure while the parts are held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by the depression of the closet seat. Upon, the release of the latter the spring-I1 willreseat the valve B1 and thereby cut off the admission of water under pressure through the ducts Z and G1 to the underside of the piston K.

he pressure of the water upon the upper side of thevalve T (supplemented by Vthe pressure ofthe sprino Q when-the latter is employeditendsto orceY the piston down ward and unseat and open the valve Tand close thervalve M, and to permitit to do so, upon the release of the seating of the valve B1, the 4following proleadingdiagovduct G1 and valve B it is inclosed within a tube extending across the interior place by the lower whose interior forms a chamber N1 for the Vreduced spring I2 surrounding the YWhen the closet e jK through the duct G1 and closet seat and the revision is made for the escape of water from the under side of the pfston, through the lchamber A1. The upper end of the valve chamber A1 is closed by a flexible washer K1 upon which rests a metal washer L1, the two being held in end of ,a screwcap`M1 reception and confinement of the coiled spring I1 heretofore referred to. Thelower end of this'spring bears upon a disk or c ollar O1 which in turn rests upon the upper end of thev hub of the'valve B1, which hub extends through central openings inthe washers K1 L1 y p of slightly larger diameter than that of the hub itself, thus providing a passage-way, aroundr said hub, b'etween the valve chamber A1 and the cnamber N1l above it when the valve B1 is in lower position against its seat. When the valveV B1 is lifted, as heretofore described, at the depression of the closet seat, its upper surface will seat against the under surface of the washer K1 -and closer this passage around the hub of the valve, so that during the time the closet seat is depressed no water can escape from the valve chamber B1 through suchpassage'; but whenfthe valverB1 is forced downward aga-inst its seat,a t the release ofthe closet seat, said passage will be opened, and thereby afford an escape for the water'beneath the piston valve chamber A1 into the chamber N1.

edge of the circularwall of the screw-cap M1.) which communicate with'a chamber Q1 into which opens the upper end .of a duct R1 whose lower end opens into the delivery pipe B. The upper end of the duct R1fis controlled by a regulating screw S1, by

The latter cham-V Y ber is provided in its lower end with lateral ports P1 (formed of notches in the lowerv means of which the escapeof water .from e beneath.l the piston yK may be regulated as desired. and the speed ofthe vclosing movement of the valve M and opening movement of thevalve T begthereby controlled. The opening of the valve T places the` closed 'tankY X and .chambers V and pipe'B, lso that the water which has been admittedto said tank during the depression of the closet seat will, upon the release of the latter, lbe discharged through the pipe B into the closet to Hush `thesame, the greater portion of said waterpassing through the ports G G into the inlet chamberV F of the closetand thence through the vusual-side ducts tothe jet at the bottom of closet bowl, and

the remainder'passing` through the-extreme front end of the pipeB into the flushing rim of the closet, to supply the necessary rim flush. ..The valve T is provided with the conical or tapered hub U kin order that as saidvalve is loweredkaway from the seatV Si in communication, throughl the pipe with the deliveryk Aally enlarged, andl thus afford gli, 153,11121 thereby producing a uniform flushing of the closet. At the opening of the valvev T and closing movement of the valve `My the-'passage of the water from the inlet chamber N to the chamber V beneath it will'fbe'cut olf as soon as the winged portion J1 ofthe valve stem L passes through the openingy in the bottom of the chamber N and the solid and cylindrical portion of the stem L'enters said opening, with the result that at such 'time the pressure of the water within the chamber N, exerted upon the top of the valve M, will supplement the pressure of the water upon the top of the valve T, in forcing the arts downward and fully opening the valve 'I and closing the valve M.

The spring Q, exerting downward pressure upon the main valve M and other parts carried by the valve stem L, merely supplements the water pressure in exerting a downward pressure upon said parts, and is not at all essential to the operation of my apparatus. The main valves M and T of the apparatus are operated primarily (and may be operated solely) by the water pressure, and have no mechanical connection whatever with the closet seat, so that the sole work which the closet seat and its connections are called upon to perform, in operating the apparatus, is to lift the valve T a very small fraction of an inch (a sixteenth or even a thirtysecondth of an inch will sufice) against the resistance of the coiled spring I1. The closet seat and its connections are thus not only required to do very much less work, and are subjected to much less wear and tear and strain, than where the main valves of the flushing apparatus are o-perated by a direct mechanical connection with the closet seat, but inasmuch as the controlling valve B1 is required to have but a trifling amount of movement, as compared with the necessary movement of the main valves, it follows that only a small amount of movement of the closet seat is required for the operation of said controlling valve.

My improved construction of liushing apparatus, and particularly the method of connecting it to and supporting it upon the closet, also facilitates its application to clos- .iets of standard construction and obviates any special design of closet for its employment. The spud connection C which forms the main support for my improved valve mechanism may be the ordinary connection for the supply pipe for the closet, so that the only modification that is required in the ordinary or standard construction of the closet is the forming of the hole in the front wall E of the inlet chamber F for the reception of the reduced front end the necessity of D'ofhlthedelivery"pipe B and thiscan-.be

nrfe'a'dily-V provi'dedwithout any =mutilation fof .the closet,

Having, now Vfully described my invention, I claim:

1.y InV a flushing valve, the`v combination with the valve casingvcontaining the inlet chamber N, chamber V l and piston chamber I,Y ofthe valve M controlling' communication between the chambers N and V, the valve T controlling communication between the chambers V and R, and the vpiston K'working inthe chamber I, said valves and piston being carried by the stem L, said valve having the upper half thereof solid or cylindrical adjacent the valve M and the lower half cutaway or winged beneath said solid or cylindrical portion, and vmeans for admitting pressure to and releasing it from the chamber I beneath the piston K; substantially as described.

2. In a flushing valve, the combination with the valve casing containing the inlet chamber N, outlet chamber R, intermediate chamber V and piston chamber I, of the valve M controlling communication between the chambers N and V, the valve T controlling communication between the chambers V yand R and having the tapered portion U, and the piston K working in the chamber I, said valves and piston being carried by the stem L having the upper half thereof solid or cylindrical adjacent the valve M and the lower half cut-away or winged beneath said solid or cylindrical portion, and means for admitting pressure to and releasing it from the chamber I beneath the piston K; substantially as described.

3. In a flushing valve, the combination with the valve casing having the inlet chamber N, outlet chamber R, intermediate chamber V and piston chamber I, of the inlet valve M of puppet form seating upon the upper side of Jthe diaphragm separating the chambers N and V, the outlet valve T of puppet form seating upon the under side of the diaphragm separating the chambers V and R, and the piston K working in the chamber I, said valves and piston being carried by the stem L and moving in unison with each other, and means for admitting pressure to and releasing it from the chamber I beneath the piston K; substantially as described.

4. In a flushing valve, the combination with the valve casing containing the inlet chamber N, outlet chamber R, intermediate chamber V and piston chamber I, of the valve M controlling communication between the chambers N and V, the valve T controlling communication between the chambers V and R, the piston K for operating said valves, and means for admitting pressure to and releasing it from the chamber I outlet chamber It, intermedia-te i li0 mental Valve B1 having the hub passing S. E. HIBiBEN.

beneath the piston K,' said means compri'sdisksj K1 L1 and" operating i in its lower ing the supplemental Valve chamber A1 hav'- position to close the Y inlet passage' Z "and ing the inlet passage Z opening upward in its upper position to seat against the disk through its bottom and having its top K1 andy closer the passage therethrough 15 formed by the disks K1 L1, the passage G1 around the hub of the Valve, and the spring lconnecting the chamber A1 with the piston I1. for yieldingly holding the valve B1 in its chamber 1,' the escape passage P1 R1 lead'- lowcr position; substantiallyas described. ing from the space above the disks. K1 L1 Y EARL G; WATROUS.; and Aregulated by the screw, S1, the supplef Witnesses: x

loosely through central openings in the LOUIS B. E'Ru'fiN'.' i

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents e-anzzhpbjr addressing` the' Vf Commissioner,V of Patents,

Washington, D.l C, Y 

